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Kirk Korver
Kirk Erick Korver (October 7, 1990 – March 20, 2018) was an American college basketball player who played for the UMKC Kangaroos men's basketball team. He was the younger brother of current NBA player Kyle Korver. Biography Korver was born in Paramount, California, and was the youngest of four children of Kevin Korver, a pastor for the Third Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa, and Laine Korver, both of whom played basketball at Central College in Pella. His grandfather, Harold Korver, is also a pastor at the Immanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California. He moved to Iowa in 1993 when his father accepted his current pastoral position and graduated from Pella High School. Basketball Career Korver was a 2009 graduate of Pella Community High School. During his junior year, Korver led Pella High School to a 13-8 overall record and averaged 11.0 points on .455 (90-198) shooting. In his senior year, Korver led Pella High School to a 16-7 overall record, averaged 14.4 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior, shot .552 (123-223) from the floor, .345 (20-58) from long range and .793 (65-82) from the charity stripe. He also had 45 assists (1.95 p/game) and 27 steals, tallied a total of six double-doubles, reached double figures in scoring in 16 contests to go along with nine games with 10 or more rebounds, and top scoring performance came in a game against Norwalk (2/19) when he netted 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting (5-8 3PT) to go along with seven boards. Korver finished with three double-doubles and reached double-digits in points in 12 games and in rebounds in four contests. He was first team all-district and all-conference selection, Des Moines Register and Iowa Newspaper Association Third Team all-State honoree. In 2018, he and his three brothers were still in the top 10 in both career scoring and rebounding at Pella High. As a freshmen Korver played in all 30 games with one start. His .386 three-point field goal percentage ranked as the fourth best mark by a freshman in UMKC history. He also tied for ninth in three-point attempts, ninth in three point makes and 10th in field goal percentage, reached double figures in four games on the year and scored eight or more points in 10 contests, and made at least one three-pointer in 16 contests and connected on two or more in nine games. He was a recipient of UMKC’s Lee Hunt Award, which is presented annually to a basketball student-athlete who demonstrates academic ability, moral character and leadership, UMKC Scholar Athlete, and named to The Summit League Academic All-League team. In his sophomore year, Korver was forced to sit out the entire season due to injury and became a red shirt. He played in every game, starting all but two and scoring double figures in nine, ranked fourth on the team with 7.6 points per game, also pulled down 3.9 boards per contest to rank third on the squad, and he hit multiple three-pointers in 10 games, and at least one three in 19 games. He also shot 74.6 percent from the line, ranking fourth. During his junior year, Korver played all 32 games, starting 19 times, ranked third on the team with 32 three-pointers, started the season strong, scoring double figures in four of the first six games, and scored 15 points against South Dakota both times, helping the ‘Roos go 2-0 against them. Korver battled injuries during most of the season, but rallied to play in 20 games, starting on senior night. He finished his career with 113 games played, a total that ranked fourth all-time at UMKC and he also finished with 597 career points to rank 32nd all time. He graduated with honors from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in 2014. Personal Life Korver has three brothers, Kyle, Klayton, and Kaleb, all of whom have played basketball. Kyle is currently a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Klayton was a guard/forward for the Drake Bulldogs; and Kaleb was a guard for the Creighton Bluejays. His mother Laine played high-school basketball and once scored 74 points in a game. Korver's father, Kevin, is a pastor in Pella, Iowa. Korver's uncle, Kris Korver, is the head basketball coach at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. His cousin Kari Korver is a former UCLA women's basketball player. Death On March 20, 2018, at the age of 28, Korver died of short illness, at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, Iowa. Kirk’s life is marked by a smile, words of welcome, kindness, a generosity of spirit, a gentle Christ-honoring faith, loyalty and compassion. See Also Korver Family K K K